Many people enjoy a nice wine with dinner, lunch or a sparkling bottle with brunch; the key is knowing what foods go best with which wines! The following article will cover a few basic tips on wines and how best to enjoy them. Learning about wine can be a very enjoyable past time; enjoy!
A lot of wines have foreign names. It is best to familiarize yourself with the pronunciation of these names before you talk with experts about your wine tasting experiences. A wine expert will quickly label you as a novice if you are not familiar with the correct pronunciation of certain names.
Read everything you can get your hands-on with respect to wine. Not only are there books available, but the Internet is a great resource as well. Check out blogs and reviews. New ones are coming out all the time, and they can be very valuable in helping you select wine that you might enjoy.
When buying wine as a gift, consider pairing it with food of some sort. A nice basket containing some chocolate and wine or fine cheese and wine makes a wonderful gift. It gives the recipient some meal ideas, and can provide for a wonderful atmosphere at a festive event.
If you tend to drink wine with your meals and find you are starting to get headaches afterward, try reducing your wine intake. The sulfates contained in wine can cause frequent headaches. Therefore, if you get these headaches, it is best to drink in moderation.
You should know that old bottles are often worthless. You could try selling it to another wine connoisseur, but most buyers look for large quantities. Keep in mind that serious buyers will want to know everything about the provenance of the wine you want to sell, which is not always feasible if you found a bottle in your basement.
Swirling is part of tasting wine. Make the circular motion necessary from your elbow rather than your wrist. Doing so will enable you to smell the wine, enhancing the flavor of it as well. Making the motion just using the wrist is difficult and often will not have the desired effect.
If you are serving your wine, you need to have good wine glasses. It is vital to use stemware that is clean and looks sharp, as this can improve the look of the wine quality to your guests. Chipped or ugly glasses should be ditched in favor of new glasses.
Do not purchase a huge amount of wine that has currently caught your fancy. You might want to stock up, but tastes change for everyone. You might love a wine now, only to get bored of it later. When this happens, you’ll end up with a wine you do not consume, meaning you wasted both money and time.
Desserts can be easily complimented with a number of different wines. Choose a sweeter wine for serving with dessert. Port wines are a great category to take advantage of with your dessert. Dessert wines should be served at about 55 degrees for the best results.
A good tip if you’re buying any wine from the grocery store is to make sure you get a bottle that’s fresh. Like anything in a supermarket, all the old stuff gets pushed up to the front, so you might need to dig a little deeper to find the newest bottle of wine you want.
Try and isolate the flavors and smells you experience when tasting wine. You’ll notice fruit, pepper or musky tones. You might be able to pick up on a hint of honey or caramel. Heed each scent and you will soon know how to recognize them all.
If you are searching for different wines to go with different foods, never stop experimenting. You may be surprised by food and wine pairings that you discover. Yes, it is possible to be conservative, but the wonder of being an oenophile is the benefit of trying new tastes.
Aim for wines that were produced in the 1960s and 1970s. These are generally the best types of wine, in addition to the fact that they have aged a good amount of time. If you see that you are accustomed to drinking wine from a certain period, explore other wines in that span of time.
Look for bottles of wine that have a screwcap rather than a cork. Since cork has imperfections in it, it may affect the taste of the wine. While this doesn’t happen often, it is a possibility. Screwcaps are becoming more popular and are less likely to affect the wine in any way.
To really get the most of your glass of wine, you will want to sniff it twice. The first time, take a long, slow whiff from right outside of the glass. The second time, take a sniff with your nose inside of the glass. You will see how much better the wine tastes when you do this.
Search for online information about different wines. Look for a wine discussion forum and read the comments until you feel confident enough to add your own ideas. If you are unfamiliar with international wines, this is a great place to find information. You can gain enough information to try a few wines you would not otherwise have considered.
Nothing compliments a good meal like a great glass of wine. Hopefully this article has proven valuable to you in learning the selection process. When paired up properly, a great wine can turn time at the table into a mini-celebration. Use these tips next time you are in a wine shop and enjoy!
